Jewellery POS software: what an Indian jewellery counter needs

What a jewellery POS system is, and why the counter is different

In most retail, POS means scan a barcode, see a fixed price, take the money. A jewellery counter can’t work like that: the price is worked out at the moment of sale from the weight, the purity and the rate you set that morning.

So a jewellery POS system has to do the salesperson’s paper arithmetic in front of the customer, plainly enough to be trusted, and cope with what a supermarket till never sees: an old necklace as part-payment, a price quoted yesterday, a family paying from three phones.

Whether it is sold as jewellery store POS software or jewellery retail software in India, judge it by the few minutes a customer stands at your counter.

At the counter: what jewellery POS software must do

• Start the bill from a tag scan. The barcode or QR code should bring up that exact piece with its recorded weight, and a search by tag number, name or HUID should find one whose tag has come off.
• Take a live weight when needed. A scale reading should go in directly, or be checked against what was recorded.
• Price at the day’s karat rate. 22K, 18K and silver each at their own rate per gram, set once in the morning and used on every new bill.
• Show making and stones as separate lines, not one lump figure.
• Put old gold on the same screen. Exchange is part of the sale, so its weight, tested purity and value should come off the same bill.
• Turn an estimate into a bill. A customer who returns with a quote should get a bill made from it, at the quoted rate, not typed again.
• Hold a sale. When a customer steps away to call home, serve the next person without losing the first bill.
• Finish with the bill in the customer’s hand. Printed, or sent on WhatsApp, before they leave the counter.

Payments, discounts and closing the galla

Split payments. One bill is often paid partly in cash, partly on UPI and the rest by card. The POS should take all of them together, refuse to close until the split adds up, and record any balance as the customer’s dues. A UPI QR for the exact amount saves reading figures aloud.

Large cash payments. Indian income-tax law does not let anyone receive ₹2 lakh or more in cash from one person in a day, against one transaction, or for one event such as a wedding. A POS that shows the cash part of each bill clearly helps staff notice in time. Ask your CA how this applies to you.

Discounts within limits. Each salesperson should have a limit, and anything above it should wait for the owner or manager’s yes.

Day-end cash count. At closing, the POS should show what ought to be in the drawer, so counting the galla is a check against a figure, not a guess.

Phone, tablet or computer, and the hardware around it

• The screen. A computer at the cash counter, or a tablet that moves between showcases. Check the POS works on devices you already own.
• Tag printer. For the barcode or QR tags on each piece. Ask which printers and tag sizes the software works with.
• Barcode or QR scanner. A plug-in scanner is quickest at a busy counter; some systems also read tags with a phone camera.
• Weighing scale. Ask whether the software reads your scale directly, and which models.
• Bill printer. A4 or A5 for a full GST bill, or a receipt printer. Ask which sizes the POS prints, and whether printing from a phone works.
• Internet. For a cloud POS, a steady connection at the counter, and a phone hotspot as backup.

Cloud POS or desktop POS

A cloud POS runs in a browser. The counter, the owner’s phone and the accountant see the same bills as they are made, with nothing to install. But if the internet drops, the counter waits.

A desktop POS keeps the records on a computer in the shop. Billing carries on when the net is down, but if that computer fails without a backup, the records go with it.

Choose by your street. If outages are routine, ask the offline question first in every demo. Our shop software guide covers the wider choice.

Checklist for choosing jewellery POS software

• A full counter sale with two pieces, old gold and a split payment takes about as long as it does on paper today, or less.
• Every price can be traced line by line: weight, rate, making, stones and GST.
• Discount limits are set per person, and approvals reach the owner on their phone.
• It runs on the devices you have, and you know what happens without internet.
• You can export your bills, stock and customers to Excel whenever you want.
• The price for your shop is written down, with what each plan includes. See our price guide for what to compare.

Questions to ask in a jewellery POS demo

• Scan one of my tags. How long until the price is on screen, and can I see how it was reached?
• My customer pays ₹40,000 cash, the rest on UPI, and an amount next week. Show me that bill.
• Make an estimate now, change today’s rate, and turn the estimate into a bill. Which rate does it use?
• What happens when my salesperson types a discount above their limit?
• Which tag printers, scanners and scales have shops like mine used with this?
• What happens to a half-made bill if the internet drops?

How CaratOS works at the counter

CaratOS, by Izara Gems Pvt. Ltd., runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, in English or Hindi for each person.

Scan and price. Scan the tag with a barcode or QR scanner, or with the phone camera, or search by name, tag number or HUID. The piece is priced from the rate you set for the day, with weight, purity, making and stones line by line, and a bill already open stays at the rate it was quoted at. On Growth and Custom, a weighing scale can feed the bill directly; ask us whether your scale works with it.

Old gold and payment. Old gold or silver goes on the same bill and is valued at your old-gold rate. Payment splits across cash, UPI and card, with a UPI QR for the exact amount; the bill finishes only when the split adds up, and anything left goes to the customer’s dues. Every bill carries 3% GST and the HUID on each line.

The rest of the counter. Estimates, returns, orders and repairs come with every plan. Set a discount limit for each salesperson; anything above it waits until you or your store manager approve it, on your phone or computer. Held bills come with Growth.

Printing. Print the bill on A5, save it as a PDF, or send it on WhatsApp or email. Bills and tags print on any printer your computer or tablet can print to.

Closing. The cash book shows what should be in the drawer at any moment, and on Growth and Custom the owner gets the day’s figures on WhatsApp every night. See Billing and old gold and dues and the galla.

What it doesn’t do today. CaratOS needs internet at the counter; CaratOS Desktop, which will keep records on your own computer, is not out yet. Printing to a Bluetooth printer straight from a phone isn’t available yet, and CaratOS doesn’t do girvi or RFID. To see your own counter sale made in it, book a demo, or compare plans on pricing.

Questions shop owners ask